Universal Displacement
by Talk With Your Hands
Summary: Sequel, AU. It's almost been a year and it's still hard for Sutton to count the Marvel universe as home. But when a mystery illness strikes her, Sutton is thrown for a loop as she finds that things can always get worse. Suddenly she's lost, with no team to back her up, and is forced to make big decisions on her own. She just might realize that Earth-616 can be home after all.
1. Home Sweet Home?

**Hello lovlies! I'm back! Are you ready for more chaos and snark? Attempts at snark? I'm excited to say that I am trying a lot harder to make sure that this story is all pulled together and cohesive and just better in general. Thank you to everyone who stuck with Universal Headaches 'til the end! Hopefully this next story will be just as enjoyable for you! :) **

**I feel like I have to say, as I've informed some reviewers, that this story is going to go a bit off the canon path. After all, Sutton did mess up the natural flow of things up a bit. And I am going to be following a few different people's perspectives to try and give the story a bit of scope. I hope it won't put people off too much, but I'm as excited as I am terrified about it. (_We get to see more Loki this way...?_) Anyway, I won't bore whoever bothers to read these author's notes. ENJOY. PLEASE.**

**[Eternal disclaimer that lasts the rest of this story about how I own nothing and am poor and all I have is Sutton and a silly plot.]**

**/**

Loki marched down towards the end of the room in rattling chains, his face in an ill concealed smirk. There should have been no reason for it. He had shackled wrists, feet, and one inexplicably around his hips. Not to mention he had lost every goal set when he'd gone to earth, _and_ to the earth from which Sutton Regan, the unmotivated mortal of power, came. But still, there was a smirk that he swallowed down as they entered further and further into the room. Thor followed along after his brother and the guards, his own face set in a worried frown.

Odin sat on his throne before them all; regal in gold, his one good eye casting judgement on the company. Frigga stood to the side. She held herself as the queen she was, though relief colored her face at the same time as it was marred by motherly worry and despair.

Loki stilled himself before Odin's throne without any fanfare, the smirk totally gone now. After the final rattling of the chains as they settled, the room was silent. Odin seemed to be waiting for a remark from his adopted son, but when Loki remained mum, he finally spoke up.

"So this is how my son must be returned to me? In chains and as a wielder of destruction. Have you nothing to say for yourself?"

Loki let the question linger in the air a moment before he took in a breath and lifted his head.

"Only that, had I not been so forgotten, _cast _into the void, and left _defenseless_, perhaps this moment could have been avoided."

The room started in surprise at his statement, Thor looked a combination of confused and furious at the claim. Odin snapped in reply.

"What do you mean by this?"

"_Oh_," Loki's tone was almost patronizing. "But I wouldn't want to make excuse for my behavior, would I? Since the mighty Allfather already knows me to be guilty."

"Loki," pleaded Frigga, her hands were clasped tightly together. "Please don't make this any worse."

Loki tilted his head back to look at her and flashed a face of grim amusement.

"Define _worse._"

Furious, Odin rapped his staff on the stone floor.

"Enough! Leave us."

Frigga cast an unappreciative glance up at her husband, but left after only a moments hesitation. Loki shot his own glare at the king of Asgard. After Frigga had completely left the room Odin continued on.

"You cause death and destruction wherever you go by your _own_ hand and will. You are alive now only because of your mother's love, and you will never see her again."

The last statement seemed to reverberate around the spacious room, causing even Loki to blink in shock and dismay. His lips parted without sound ever leaving them and he looked on the man who had been his father in betrayal even unexpected for him. Thor winced, casting his eyes down, and looked away.

"Father," he spoke up as he moved around to stand by his brother. "Loki has indeed wronged Midgard and our people, but I fear a worse threat looms before us."

Odin's attention was drawn to his eldest son and he stood up from his throne.

"What mean you," he asked. "Speak now."

Thor sighed.

"On Midgard we were drawn through the Tesseract's power into another realm. We found ourselves on _another_ Midgard, one that considered our people and the champions who I battled alongside to be mere legends. There we met a mortal woman with great power. She told me before our return home that another villain was in our future. One I am weary to believe."

"A Seer, then," said Odin. "Amongst mortals? That alone is hard to believe; but come. Who is this villain you so fear?"

Thor paused instead of answering straight away.

"Malekith, leader of the Dark Elves."

Everyone in the room froze. The guards surrounding Loki even fidgeted and looked up to Odin as if for reassurance that this could not be true. They all knew the stories of the Dark Elves who had tried to cast the universe back into darkness. The tales spoke of their mighty weapon, the Aether, that Malekith himself wielded.

Odin's grip on Gungnir tightened and he struck the floor with it again.

"Impossible," he said. "The Dark Elves were all destroyed by my father, Borr. This mortal was obviously a fraud."

"Father," Thor argued. "She had extensive knowledge of our world. Her earth could peer into our lives as if through a looking glass."

Loki tilted his head and grit his teeth as if frustrated.

"Listen well, for I shall _never_ say this again, but you should listen to Thor's warning. The mortal woman has immense power-"

"Enough!"

In his anger, Odin's eye blazed fiercely.

"I will not exhaust Asgard of her people and resources for a false threat! The nine realms already descend into chaos. Thor, you will do your duty to restore order to Yggdrasil, and Loki will account for his crimes!"

Loki's eyes flickered, his lips twitched, and he did not try to protest. Thor's hands were balled into fists and his bearded jaw clenched at the dismissal and reprimand.

"Regardless of whatever lies you try to spin, Loki, your actions were your own. Consider it mercy that the dungeons are your new home."

[][][][][][][][][][]

Victoria Sung stood before the destruction that had once been her home. It didn't matter that it had been small, or old, or a rental. It was the first place that had allowed her to live out her independence. It was where she'd made one of her first friends who wasn't only interested in her for her parent's money. And now it was little more than a hole in the ground and her friend was gone.

_How had Sutton even survived this?_

There was a shuffling behind her and Vicki spun around, her short black hair bobbing as she finally looked at the woman she'd been avoiding making eye contact with the entire drive here.

"Thank you for coming," the woman said. "I've been wanting to come here, but...I've had no real excuse. The officials over this..._this_ _case_ haven't been exactly _cooperative_."

Vicki's large almond eyes moistened as she nodded, her freckled face was pale.

"Mrs. Stringer, I know this must be harder for you than it is for me. If you don't want to come in-"

"No. I need to see it. Maybe there's something they missed. A clue. I just can't..."

But the woman's voice was being overpowered by emotion and Vicki felt herself wilting.

"I understand, Mrs. Stringer; it's ok."

"Please, call me Lindsay, dear."

Vicki smiled without humor.

"_Mrs. _Lindsay, then."

Turning back to the front door, Vicki took out her house key from her pristine Louis Vuitton bag and unlocked the latch. Her purse slipped off her shoulder and landed on the floor at the sight that greeted her. She could hear Sutton's mother choking back a sob behind her.

_It was...destroyed. _

Vicki could hardly accept what was clearly before her. People had told her, of course, but to _see it._ She pressed her hand over her small lips and took another step inside.

The walls of their living room and kitchen were black, one was even almost completely knocked over. The furniture was strewn about and tipped over. On top of that it was clear that a party had come through and done a thorough search of every nook and cranny. Sutton's mother whimpered from the door's threshold.

"_Oh, Sutton."_

Vicki had to find an unbroken chair and sit down. It was almost worse than when she had been bombarded by the press after she'd stepped off the plane coming back onto American soil. Suddenly she was known as _"the terrorist's roommate"_ and everyone wanted to hear about the behavior and habits of Sutton Regan. Vicki still wasn't sure if she believed any of it. As if hearing her thoughts, Mrs. Lindsay spoke.

"She didn't do it; you have to believe that. She must have been threatened, or a hostage... Sutton could _never..." _But the woman couldn't finish and burst into sobs. "And they can't even _find her?_ It's been two months and no one knows where my baby is! She couldn't have just disappeared!"

Vicki left her seat and rushed to embrace the broken woman. She stroked the mother's straight, sleek hair in a vain attempt to comfort her.

"_Shh_, I know Sutton didn't do it. Mrs. _S_- Lindsay, Sutton couldn't decide what to have for dinner half the time, or even fix the wifi by herself. I doubt she could be a terrorist ringleader."

Mrs. Lindsay lifted her head up and gave Vicki a watery smile that quickly died. It was almost disconcerting to Vicki how alike the woman and her daughter looked. Vicki thought it must be a terrible reminder of her loss every time the woman looked in a mirror. Both had thin faces with a defined jaw and bright eyes. Mrs. Lindsay had more curves than her daughter, though, and Sutton must have gotten her hair from her father. Her mother's, while a similar shade, was thinner and tameable.

"I'm sure Sutton is ok," Vicki finally said. "You know how she wa-_is_." With a sigh, Vicki berated herself. "I should never have gone on that trip. I should have brought her along, I just knew her boss was a jerk and I-"

"Victoria," Mrs. Lindsay interrupted. "It's not your fault, dear. You might have just gotten involved too and then..." But she couldn't finish again.

Vicki wanted to ask how the rest of the family was doing just to break the silence, but felt like it wasn't her place. Sutton had often mentioned her little brother, but Vicki had never met any of them and didn't want to upset the woman any more than she already was.

"I just wish I knew that she was alright," Mrs. Lindsay finally whispered. "I wish I knew if she were safe, or hurt, or frightened." She looked up at her daughter's once roommate with round eyes. "She's probably so, so scared-"

[][][][][][][][][][]

"-of what the future might hold, especially almost a year after _New York_. We have to worry about a totally different kind of illegal alien now."

Sutton hands fluttered around her frantically as she stood below a stage in a pressed pencil skirt and fitted blazer. The sea of faces before her were for the most part not even looking at her, but a few people in the front couple rows were watching her with rapt attention. The young adults in typical black gowns let out a round of laughter as the man at the podium smirked. Sutton worked to maintain her professional appearance.

"This is the part where I'm supposed to say that you can do whatever you put your mind to, but _come on. _Not all of us can be handsome, multi-billion dollar, superheroes."

Sutton came very, _very_ close to rolling her eyes, but caught herself before she slipped. That didn't stop some people in the audience from doing it while others chuckled.

"But seriously, for a second, you're graduating now and you have to get out there. If I've learned anything it's if something comes to you easily, it'll probably be back to bite you later. Our world is changing fast and we all have to keep up. And, odds are, if you were able to afford to come to this school you won't have a problem with that."

Sutton paused her signing for allotted laughter and waited to see how the speech would be wrapped up.

"Ok, like I said at the beginning, this speech isn't going to be long. To sum up, this world isn't going to do you any favors. You have to make your own mistakes and own successes. The future needs you to be your best. That being said, Stark Industries is accepting resumes in the back. But I warn you, interviews _will_ include an obstacle course."

And then Tony threw up a peace sign and strutted off the stage. Sutton rolled her eyes in exasperation and let out a growl of irritation in the back of her throat. Her next few signs were small motions, just mockingly talking to herself.

_"And thank you to my __wonderful__ interpreter, Sutton Regan." _

A loud shot of laughter startled her and she focused on the crowd to notice one of the Deaf graduates giving her some teasing applause.

Sutton flushed slightly but laughed and tried to make sure there weren't cameras pointed at her still. As far as she could tell they were currently remaining on Tony as he left the building. He apparently had someplace important to be, but Sutton wasn't so sure about that. Noting that she wasn't in the spotlight, she rolled her eyes again and held her palms facing herself as she brushed her fingers back and forth over each other making the sign for _'whatever'_.

After the ceremony, Sutton was heading back to her rental car and flexing her tired fingers. A shadow passed over her as she reached for the door handle.

"So, I think you owe me an apology."

Sutton sighed as she turned away from her escape-pod on wheels.

"And why would I owe you an apology, Tony? I haven't even seen you in two months. If anything, you owe _me_ one. I had to help interpret for that _entire_ ceremony because you wouldn't let the school's interpreters sign for your speech. This is on top of all the office meetings I already interpret for regularly."

Tony shrugged nonchalantly.

"Just keeping you employed. And you owe _me_ because you stole my spotlight."

Her right eyebrow rose up behind her bangs.

"Excuse me?"

Tony pulled out his phone and slid his thumb over the screen until he found what he was looking for.

"You just blew up the internet. Congrats on that low profile you said you wanted."

Sutton pinched the bridge of her nose as she examined Tony's phone. Apparently her eye roll _hadn't_ gone unnoticed. It was a photograph of Tony on stage in the middle of his peace sign as she rolled her eyes down below. Someone had captioned the image:

_'The sign I want to give you only uses one finger.'_

Sutton groaned.

"No, no, no, _no, no, no_."

"Oh yeah," said Tony. "And there's more where that came from. The ceremony was only an hour ago and this is practically viral. Probably all thanks to _my_ popularity, but again, you've taken attention away from my super inspiring speech. That's rude."

"You know, Tony," Sutton deflected, "you don't have to wait until I'm an internet meme to say _hi._ If it means that much to you, you can text. I mean, you _did _give me a Stark phone, after all."

"Which is amazing, right?"

"Yeah," she begrudgingly admitted. "And I'm half certain it's bugged too."

Tony grinned and suddenly she had the feeling that her joke wasn't actually a joke at all.

"Big brother has to watch out for you."

"Real funny, Tony."

"By the way, who's Axel? And why is Maggie trying to set you up with him?"

Sutton balked.

"_Tony! _I should have flippin' _known! _I'm going to tell Pepper-"

Tony held his hands up in surrender.

"I'm kidding, _kidding!_ Just got the office gossip. _Sheesh_." He waved her to follow him as he made his way to his own parked car. It was red and very shiny. "Come on, I'll let you fly home with me."

Sutton frowned.  
"I thought you couldn't stay for the entire graduation because you had an important business meeting or something?"

"Oh, yeah I made that up."

_Figured._

She was going to decline the offer just to be stubborn, but someone was already taking her rental keys and Tony taunted her about flying coach filled with small children. It wouldn't be too much of an exaggeration to think that Tony would pay to have the plane filled with infants just to mess with her. She decided that the private jet was more pleasant. Besides, Tony's planes usually had snacks. _Free snacks._

Sutton was already munching on chocolate covered pretzels as the plane reached cruising altitude. Getting on the private jet had been the right choice. The seats were just as comfortable as she remembered from her first trip to New York.

"So," she started. "How have you been? I saw that whole Aldrich thing on the news. His court date is coming up soon, isn't it?"

Tony's demeanor dimmed as he nodded.

"Yeah, and my lawyers are going to make sure he doesn't weasel his way out of _even one _charge."

"Did he _really _breath fire at Rhodey? The news kept gushing about how he'd altered his DNA and attacked War Mach- I mean, _Iron Patriot._"

Tony snapped his fingers together.

"See! War Machine is a much cooler name, isn't it?"

Sutton't head lolled to the side.

"Yes. N-"

"And, yeah, he did. Luckily Rhodey realized he was in one of _my_ suits and put him down really quick. _I'm _the one that developed the _flame eliminator serum_ so he wouldn't be able to fry his prison warden."

Sutton sighed and nodded.

"I still can't believe the Mandarin was an _actor._ I mean, _really?_ You cast _Sir Ben Kingsley_ to play one of Iron Man's arch nemesis's and he's the joke of a plot twist?"

It was Tony's turn to lift a brow at her.

"You do realize that Aldrich was the Mandarin instead, right? And it's a lot cleaner this way. You've got to let go of the whole "movie" thing, kid. This is real stuff now."

Sutton huffed and shifted in her seat.

"Yeah, I know. But how are you _really_, because you did mess up everything and probably missed out on some important character devel-"

"_I'm fine, kid_," Tony butt in. "I traded the Aldrich fiasco for some disaster in your world. I shouldn't have to go through suffering ordeals more than once, right?"

"I guess."

But he still looked a bit tired to her, like he hadn't been sleeping through the night.

The plane dipped suddenly and Sutton felt her stomach flip. She let out a small breathy laugh as the plane settled back down, but her stomach flipped again on its own. A tingling shot through her appendages and she saw double for a brief moment.

"You ok, Small Fry? You look a bit pale."  
Sutton nodded.

"I'm fine. Just too much sugar on an empty stomach, I think. Excuse me for a second."

Unbuckling, she entered the plane's bathroom and set it to 'occupied'. Sitting on the closed toilet lid, Sutton rested her head on the sink counter as nausea rolled through her once more.

_ Not this again._

It'd been about a month or so since her last bout of symptoms like this. She'd been brushing it off as stress and a diet change, but now it was back. The tingling in her arms and legs reached an almost painful degree and Sutton bit down on her lower lip.

_Just let it pass. _

She sat that way for five minutes as her head spun and gut churned. This probably wasn't normal. She should probably go to the doctor about this now. The idea was almost enough to make her as upset as her physical symptoms. Not that her insurance wouldn't cover it; Stark Industries actually had a really good benefits package. She just knew that she was being monitored from all sides, S.H.I.E.L.D included. And if this turned out to be anything more than the flu, she'd be getting more than just "get well" balloons at her door.

The feelings finally passed and Sutton composed herself enough to rejoin Tony in the body of the plane.

"So, how's Pepper, anyway," she asked immediately upon her exit in order to distract from the amount of time she'd spent in there. "Is she holding up ok while still having to put up with you?"

"You know, as your boss you'd think you'd tread a little more lightly around me. You know, '_Mr. Stark',_ '_yes sir'. _I can jack up the price on your rent at any time."

"I don't even live in Star Tower, _Tony._"

"Yeah, but I own your complex."

Sutton groaned and rubbed at her eyes quickly.

"Is there anything you_ don't _own? _Sheesh_, I think we have to worry more about world domination plans from _you_."

Tony snorted into the cup he was holding up to his lips. She hoped that he knew she wouldn't tolerate him getting drunk and dancing with the stewardesses while she was on the plane. Chase would have thought it was funny though. He always did have somewhat of a slanted moral code, if his excessive drinking had been any clue. Not that she condoned his activities at all. She had still been working on him. Giving her head a shake, Sutton refocused on whatever Tony was saying.

"-too much responsibility. Besides, rebellious uprisings are _such_ a party stopper."

"_Right_."

One of the nice things about Tony, _not that she were saying there were many_, was that she never felt the need to entertain him constantly. The flight was not awkward and she didn't feel like she had to chat the entire trip. Besides, he did a pretty good job of shutting down conversation and working on some blueprints that looked suspiciously like the make up for a tank of an Iron Man suit. He didn't share and she decided that it were best if she didn't know.

When they arrived back in New York, Sutton ensured that Tony had arranged to have her luggage sent back to her apartment before they went their separate ways. He had a date with Pepper and she had a date with Netflix. Even if he'd invited her along she really couldn't cancel it again.

Sutton's apartment was a few blocks away from Stark Tower which made her commute fairly easy most of the time. She did travel a bit, as she just had for the graduation ceremony, depending on what needed an interpreter. And Pepper had been nice enough to have JARVIS put in the credits she'd already earned into her new made-up identity, so school hadn't been as long when she was earning her degree.

Sutton pulled her shiny silver key from her black leather tote and unlocked her front door. Inside the room smelt fresh, and she knew the air conditioning had been on recently. It was not a large apartment. She wasn't suddenly rich because she knew _the_ Tony Stark. And she didn't really expect him to cut her any favors or throw piles of money in her direction just because _she was who she was_. But the position she had now paid better than the job she'd had before, and she was able to afford living on her own. Again, the apartment wasn't big. This was New York, after all. It was clean and on the nice side of town and that was really all she cared about. A small brown leather couch took up most of her living room and across from it was her cherished television. Her bedroom was in the back, which equated to about two feet from the living room, and she headed there first to change into sweats before making her way to the kitchen. She put together two slices of bread with cheese in the middle and turned her toaster on its side to pop it in. The toaster was an obnoxious red and shining gold. It toasted her bread so that it looked like Iron Man's mask was burnt onto it. She wasn't going to harp Tony about her broken appliances ever again.

With her lazy grilled cheese and a glass of water, Sutton finally plopped in front of the TV and flipped to watch some british shows on Netflix. Tomorrow was Thursday, but luckily she only had two appointments that she had to attend, and Friday there was only one meeting scheduled that needed her in the morning. All she really had to do was avoid Maggie and Avery until then and then she'd have a stress free weekend. Because like Tony had heard from _"gossip", _those two had been pressuring her to go on a date with Axel for a few weeks now. Sutton just wasn't in the mood for it.

Not that Axel wasn't good-looking or incredibly nice, because he was. Sutton just didn't feel like now was the best time for her to jump into a relationship. Really, it _had_ only been about a year since her move to another _universe._ She thought she needed a little bit more recovery time than that.

Yeah, that was it.

Her stomach lurched again and she sucked in a breath as she stilled on the couch. More tremors passed through her and she closed her eyes trying to block out the pain. The television show on continued to play, ignoring her physical state.

_"I travel. Through time and space."__  
"He saves planets, rescues civilizations, defeats terrible creatures. And runs a lot. Seriously, there's an outrageous amount of running involved."_

_Ok, _she thought,_ it's decided. _She would make an appointment first thing tomorrow for a doctor's visit and make sure she didn't have cancer or something else equally as terrible. For now, though, she tried to just ignore the symptoms and refocus on her show. One more day wouldn't kill her.

**/**

**Aaaaand... that's chapter one! Is this a short chapter? I feel like it's longer when I'm writing, but then I can scroll through it in, like, two seconds. Do you guys like the chapters about this length? Or shorter, longer? Let me know! And let me know about your first impressions! Do you like it? Does it feel weird? Did you notice how I kind of tied in the different perspectives for a better flow? *wiggles eyebrows* Whatever you have to say, leave a review! **


	2. Finding, Plotting, Falling

**Hey guys! Sorry for the bit of a wait! I don't have an excuse except that I am lazy and got distracted with reading other people's fanfics and on deviantart. I had this one half written already when I posted the first chapter, so that helped me to actually finish it up sooner. Anyway, thanks to the people who reviewed! You have no idea how much it means to me and it really helps me be more motivated to write faster. :) This chapter is a _little bit_ longer because I couldn't find the right place to stop it, so I just had to keep going. **

**I hope you all enjoy!**

**/**

Sutton was not able to fully avoid Maggie and Avery the next day. She had succeeded in making it to lunch without running into them, but as she tried to leave Star Tower for a little cafe down the block, they caught up with her.

"Sutton! Hey! Wait up, girl!"

Obediently, Sutton's feet froze and she gave a silent groan to the heavens.

_What had she done to deserve this?_

She liked Maggie and Avery, she really did. She would like them more if they weren't so set on her dating someone. Like it was a necessity to secure her happiness or something. Avery actually wasn't as bad about it, the girl knew when to back off the topic, but Maggie saw it as her personal mission in life to play matchmaker.

"Hey guys. Didn't see you there," Sutton fibbed. "I was just heading to lunch."

Avery grinned, her brilliant white teeth shining out from dark skin.

"Perfect! So were we."

Maggie nodded in consensus and the hair on the side of her head that wasn't shaved brushed against her face.

"Were you heading to that little cafe," she asked. "You usually go there, don't you?"

There would be no getting rid of them. Sutton nodded and accepted the fact that lunch would not be as quiet as she'd hoped. _Curse her for her habit for routines!_

"Yeah, come on. You guys can join me."

All three of them settled into a table outside since the day was so nice and ordered a light lunch. Sutton didn't think that she could handle much more than that with the girls stressing her out compounded with her mystery symptoms. Surprisingly enough, they didn't mention Axel straight away. Sutton found herself relaxing into chatter about the local going-ons with Stark Tower and that new fashion line that had just been released by the Olsens. Sutton's stomach had hardly churned once. And then the subject casually turned to Maggie's boyfriend and she knew it would end up on the subject of her dating life eventually.

"How is Phillip," Avery asked. "Is he still working down near 101?"

Maggie shook her head and sipped at her ice tea.

"No, the firm was never really able to bounce back after the attack. He's had to find other work. He's just been freelancing a bit right now, but I know he'll get picked up for something stable soon."

Avery glanced at Sutton, her dark eyes knowing.

"You know Tony Stark personally, right? Maybe you could put in a good word for him."

Sutton blinked as the conversation was brought to her and gave an forced laugh.

"Uh, maybe? I mean, that's not really what I- Tony-_Mr. Stark_ doesn't really take business advice from me. I'm just his interpreter."

Avery lifted an eyebrow and Maggie laughed.

"_Right_," Maggie said with a devilish grin.

Sutton's face flared red.

"Oh my gosh, _no_, it's not like-_ew._ I mean I don't-"

The two girls burst out laughing.

"We're teasing you," Avery said. "We know you've only got eyes for Axel."

"Yeah," Maggie agreed. "And I hear he's free tomorrow."

Sutton was suddenly grateful that she had a legitimate excuse.

"Sorry," _but she wasn't,_ "I have an appointment that I can't miss. _Darn._"

"Sutton," Avery said in mock firmness. "Axel is a catch. You can't tell me you haven't stared at his dreamy cinnamon skin, dark hair combo. Plus, he works in IT, so he's not an idiot. Especially if it's with Stark Industries. So what is holding you back?"

"Is it another guy," Maggie asked sympathetically. "Was it someone you knew in foster care?"

Sutton bit harshly at the inside of her cheek. She _hated _it when people brought up her phoney past. Not that it was their fault. They didn't know. But _she had a mother,_ darn it! She wasn't an orphan! She had a brother and a step-father and she _couldn't even talk about them._ Instead of blowing up and crying out to the world that she, _Sutton Regan_, had a family and a home that she desperately missed, she smiled stiffly.

"Something like that," she said. "I just don't think that I'm ready."

Maggie was about to protest, but Avery nudged her in the side with an elbow and shook her head _'no'._ Sutton greatly appreciated it. Avery actually reminded Sutton of Vicki, in a way. Maybe that's why she kept the woman at arm's length. Not that they looked similar or anything, but they had the same firm dedication that they carried themselves in. Avery and Sutton could be good friends if Sutton let her.

"Well," Sutton said as she tossed some cash on the table. "I better get going. I still have one more meeting I have to be at. Thanks for joining me, this was nice." _Mostly._

They said their good-byes and Sutton made her way back to Stark Tower. Her legs were starting to tingle as she walked back, as if they'd fallen asleep and the blood was just moving again, but she pressed on. Only a couple more hours and then she could go back to her lone apartment.

_Maybe she should think about getting a cat or something. Were guinea pigs low maintenance?_

It was a boring meeting; at least to her. But luckily it finished up quicker than she expected and she was released out to do whatever she wished. She stopped by the still-partially-under-construction library to drop off some borrowed books and picked up some milk from the grocery store before heading back to her apartment.

It still amazed her how much of the city had been demolished in the attack. Not that she hadn't known it was extensive. Heck, she was that person that pondered what reconstruction costs would look like in films. But living in the middle of it was a constant reminder. She couldn't just take out a DVD and move on from it. There were still huge construction cranes standing through the city like sentinels over charred remains. They still had a long way to go.

But she liked her apartment, it wasn't half of a crumbled heap. Her apartment was quiet and safe and didn't ask her why she didn't have _any _childhood photos. (In fact, she hardly had any photographs at all.) The few people who had visited her place, which could probably be counted on one hand, probably left thinking that she really was the poor, lost orphan her new background made her out to be.

It was sad enough that she literally had nothing besides work going on until her doctor's appointment the next day. What was wrong with her? She hadn't been this pathetic before. It frustrated her, but then it was like there wasn't anything she could do to force herself to break from the pattern of it. Sutton sighed and shook her head as she finally arrived at her apartment door.

_What did it matter anyway?_

Vicki dug through her belongings, packing away everything she wanted to keep. Her parents were insisting that she move back in with them until the whole _terrorist _debacle died down more. Vicki wasn't entirely looking forward to it. Her mother would _insist_ that her room have the correct feng shui and they'd be more apt to pressure her into attending different formal events. It would be such a drag.

She folded another t-shirt and placed it delicately in her suitcase. There'd be others coming soon enough to help her, but she just needed some time to do a little of it on her own. Luckily her room was far enough from the detonation site to have escaped most of the damage. Vicki found that her eyes kept glancing to the hallway as she packed. Her suitcase was halfway full and she realized that she'd refolded the same skirt three times. With a frustrated scoff, she tossed the skirt down and marched down the short hall. She marched right up to Sutton's door, and then she froze. Her hand was poised over the doorknob.

She really didn't want to look inside. But, if that were true, why did the thought of walking away now send panic up her spine?

_Sutton wasn't dead. It wasn't wrong to look in her room. _

Vicki stood tall and smoothed her short hair. Then she pushed open the door.

It struck her first that it was oddly clean, save for a few articles of clothing on the floor. Vicki stepped inside cautiously, as if she'd set off some booby trap if not careful, and peered around. It didn't _seem_ too unusual. There weren't schematics pinned to the wall or suspicious electronics on the tiny plastic desk. But there also seemed to be _something _missing. Sutton usually had little knick knacks she collected scattered around. The piles of paper on her desk would only grow if she wasn't reminded to clean it up. In all respects, it was Sutton's room. There just seemed to be an absence of _Sutton _in it.

Sitting on her friend's full sized bed, Vicki sighed.

"_What happened?"_

Her foot nudged one of the t-shirts on the floor and she blinked in confusion.

_Wait. That looked like..._

Vicki picked up the article of clothing and started in surprise. This was one of her boyfriend's shirts. Why did Sutton have it?

Vicki stood, eyes darting around the room at the other articles of clothing left on the floor. She took a short breath and raced back to her own room and pulled open the last drawer in her dresser. It was not how she'd left it. Half of her boyfriend's clothes were missing or mussed up. Vicki did not let clothes sit like that, _unfolded and collecting wrinkles_.

She suddenly looked up, studying her room anew, as if looking for some clue or sign as to what this discovery meant.

_Could Sutton and her boyfriend have...?_

_No._

Vicki shook her head and immediately dismissed the idea. Sutton wasn't like that. Not in a million years. Besides, she could always tell that Sutton had felt a bit uncomfortable when he came over to visit. And Sutton had made it clear that she wouldn't participate in the same relationship _activities _if she ever started dating someone.

_So what, then?_

Perhaps it was the federal team that came in and searched their house? It was possible, but why would they move around her boyfriend's clothes? Why had they tidied up Sutton's room when the living room was obviously an inconsiderate mess?

A closer look around the rest of her room made clear to Vicki that not everything was how she'd left it either. Someone had moved her snow globe she'd gotten from visiting Roswell, New Mexico to the opposite end of the shelf she'd placed it on. Her closet sliding doors had been closed wrong, with the handles inwards instead of on the outsides. And her mattress, she gave it a good jostle, it seemed a bit sunken in. It was if something heavy had been laying in one place too long.

A metallic _'thunk'_ sounded through her room as the bed she'd been shuffling settled and Vicki refocused in curiosity. Her headboard may be metal but there was no way that the mattress or bedsheets made that sort of noise when brushing against it.

Pulling back the top mattress, Vicki reached down and tried to feel for whatever foreign object was lodged below. It didn't take long for her fingers to brush against something smooth and cool. Vicki's breathing hitched and she felt around until she finally found the end of the object and was able to give it a tug. She really didn't know what she'd expected to find, but it hadn't been this. _Not in a hundred years_ this.  
Vicki staggered back against the weight of the object she'd found and stared dumbfounded. It was a shield. And not just any shield. It was _Captain America's_ shield. She'd never been quite as obsessed- _er, passionate_, as Sutton about the Marvel movies or characters, but she knew what this was supposed to be unquestionably.  
"What the-?"  
Why was there a cosplay shield shoved under her mattress? Why did it feel like solid metal? What was going on! She stood with knees bent and both hands hefting the shield up in the middle of her room as she stared around in confusion. Nothing made sense anymore. Sutton wasn't even very good at crafting, let alone metal forming, or whatever it took to make this.  
Vicki heard the door open and her head snapped to stare at the door in fear. She tossed the shield under her bed and heaved her suitcase back on top of her mattress.  
Why was she freaking out? Why did this all of a sudden feel like some sort of a conspiracy?  
"Victoria? Dear, the men are here to help you move your things back to our place."  
Vicki sighed.  
"Back here, mama."  
Maybe she'd be talking to Sutton's mother again soon after all.

Loki sat in a hand carved wooden chair as he skimmed the pages of the latest book his mother had left him. His eyes lazily scanned the page as he reclined, eyes barely focusing, with an ankle resting atop his knee. It was not that he didn't enjoy reading, because he did, but he knew he was destined for _so much more_ than wiling away his life in mere books.

From the corner of his eye he could see one of the royal guard bring a tray with his prepared meal.

_Ah. They didn't forget the wine this time. Good._

Still, he did not show the young guard any acknowledgement as his meal was left. It was only as the _boy_ dawdled next to his cell that he finally looked up.

"Was there something else you were waiting for? I don't believe I requested your presence."

The guard shifted on his feet, the helmet partially hiding his furrowed brow.

"I was just wondering, well, we all were, if what you were saying was true. About _Malekith_. Do you truly believe he's back?"

Loki's brow creased, his lips turning down.

"Why would you believe anything I told you?"

The guard's spine straightened and his eyes sharpened as if he were remembering just who the prisoner was.

"No one would," he said. "But Thor was the first to make such a claim. And he does not lie. You are the only other who would know about these threats since Thor is gone."

Loki lifted one delicate brow.

"Do you believe Odin would leave Asgard in such a state of danger?"

The guard said nothing. Loki gave him a knowing look.

"I would _never_ wish to speak against _the king_. He is obviously as sharp and in as great of health as ever, is he not? I'm sure _his_ word can be trusted."

"Of course, _but_ Thor is next to the throne, and he believes Malekith a real threat."

Loki shrugged.

"Then let Thor take action."

The guard seemed to be instantly frustrated.

"_Thor_ is out fighting for the nine realms. There is no knowing when he will return."

Loki pierced the guard with shining green eyes.

"Then I suppose our only choice is to trust Odin. Or do you doubt the king?"

The guard looked startled and paled slightly under his helmet. He broke eye contact and stepped back away from the cell.

"Of course I trust our king," he said mechanically, stiltedly. "Which you would do well not to question." And then without further words, he departed. Loki went back to his book, his food going cold. The guard did not see the wide grin stretch across his face.

Sutton sat in the doctor's waiting room and was trying to ignore the magazines that touted the magnificence of the Avengers while also contrasting the praise with the public's condemnation of them. And all the _Science Monthly_ issues were just explaining the brilliance of Tony's mind. She was currently perusing a _Good Housekeeping._ Even then, they still had an article about how to make your very own Thor cupcakes.

Eventually she was called back, _eventually,_ and she stressed to the doctor the severity of her symptoms and tried to describe them as well she could. As it usually was, she couldn't tell if the doctor actually took her seriously or not. But he agreed to a series of tests. They were totally stupid and useless at first, from what _she _could tell. Not that she was a doctor. But, _really?_ _Looking in her ears and poking her stomach? Seriously?_

Finally he did some tests of _merit._ He took some blood and did an x-ray and one other test that she didn't quite understand, but the machine seemed fancy. But he had only agreed to those after she casually mentioned that she really wanted to be her best for _Tony Stark's conference meeting tomorrow. He was really counting on her to be there and be functioning on all cylinders._

When the tests were done, the doctor gathered up the supplies himself and asked her to _wait here_ and that he'd be back with the results shortly. Sutton snorted. She was well aware of a _doctor's_ version of _shortly._

The doctor finally came back into the room and Sutton stopped playing with the tongue depressors that she'd snagged. She ignored the doctor's exasperated eye roll and sat at attention. These were actually results she was interested in. The doctor put back on his professional appearance and smiled at her.

"Well, good news, Miss Regan. Your results are normal. There is nothing medically wrong with you."

Sutton frowned and shifted on the stiff, paper-lined bench.

"Then why have I been feeling so terrible," she asked. "I've never had these sorts of symptoms before. It can't be nothing."

The doctor gave her a condescending smile.

"Have you recently had a major life change or other added stress? The body can do many things in reaction to situations that cause us discomfort."

Sutton sighed at his response and glanced at the door quickly.

"Maybe," she conceded. "But it's still an issue. And it's been getting worse."

"Well then, I would recommend on either getting rid of the stressor, or trying to get away for a little while."

Sutton's lips pressed together tightly and she nodded sharply.

"I see. Well thank you."

She quickly left after that, scoffing at doctors and medical practices in general.

_'Just get rid of the stressor.' Oh! How lovely! What a great idea! Genius!_

Her left leg and right arm suddenly went numb as she walked causing her to stumble. Sutton snarled to herself. Doctors were the worst! No wonder Tony hadn't bothered with them in Iron Man 2.

_**Tony! **_

Maybe Tony could help! She knew he wasn't a doctor or a neurologist or anything, but maybe a few brain scans would do her some good.

Sutton hailed a cab, gave her address, and then pulled out her phone as the taxi entered traffic. Her fingers were starting to tremble against her will as she attempted to send a text to Tony. As soon as she'd sent it she received an automated reply in return.

_ [My apologies, but Mr. Stark is currently not accepting calls or messages of any kind.]_

_ [JARVIS, you know who this is. Where is he? It could be kinda important.]_

JARVIS was quick again in response.

_[__Miss Regan, Mr. Stark is currently taking time off at his home in California. He has instructed me to tell you that if you are not in the tabloids by his return, he will be very disappointed in you.]_

_ [__He's a ridiculous person, JARVIS. I hardly know how you put up with him.]_

_ [__I take one day at a time, Miss Regan.]_

Sutton snorted back laughter, trying not to draw attention from her cab driver. She was almost back to her apartment anyway; who cared if the cabbie thought she was crazy for laughing at an AI's jokes. She thought for an AI he was remarkably witty.

As she tucked her phone back into her bag she remembered why she'd been trying to reach Tony in the first place and sighed. They mystery symptoms could probably wait until he got back. She probably _was_ just stressed and was making a big deal out of nothing anyway.

She was **not **making a big deal out of nothing! Sutton shrieked louder than she ever had before and fell sideways off her couch in a mad flailing of limbs. Her dinner plate spilled onto the floor, forgotten in the sudden scramble. Sutton pulled herself up onto her knees and thrust her left hand in front of her face. And then she screamed a bloodcurdling scream that was sure to give the neighbors nightmares for the next six months.

Her left hand was gone.

_**Gone.**_

Her mind was on fire as she blinked stupidly at where her hand should be.

_The heck, the heck, THE HECK?_

In a fleet, blipping moment of clarity, Sutton struggled to pull herself up fully and dove for her phone. She hit the speed dial with her right hand.

_[I am sorry, Mr. Stark-]_

Sutton seethed in a wild panic.

"JARVIS, you tell Tony _right now_ that if he doesn't answer this phone I will _personally_ destroy each and every one of his beloved Iron Man suits _after_ I dress Dummy up as Wall-E and-"

The phone suddenly clicked.

"Small Fry?" Sutton could have cried. Oh, wait. No. She already was. "What's up, kid? JARVIS said he was detecting odd fluctuations in speech pattern and-"

"TONY. Tony, Tony, _Tony_."

"Yes, me. Now wha-"

"MY HAND IS GONE, TONY. I am l-looking at where my left hand _should _be and-and i-it's gone!"

"Excuse me?"

Sutton let out an enraged shriek and used the one had she still had to turn on the video capabilities on her phone. She shoved her left arm, stubbed at the wrist, in front of the camera and glowered fiercely. Her pupils were blown wide and her nostrils flared.

"WHERE IS IT, TONY? WHERE IS MY HAND, HOW COULD IT JUST _DISAPPEAR?_"

Tony let out a surprised curse and leaned in as if for a closer look.

"Ok," he finally said. "Ok, just calm down. At least you're not bleeding out, right?"

"WELL YES AT LEAST THERE'S THAT."

A tingling sensation shot through her arm, and Sutton flinched back away from the camera, her eyes drilling in on her wrist. There was a flickering and then she watched as her hand phased back into existence. Tony's eyes were wide and Sutton was gasping, sucking in much needed air. She flexed her newly found fingers and twisted her wrist around, fearful that it'd disappear once again at a moments notice.

"_Tony_."

"Yeah. Ok, I'm sending a jet over. Be ready, Small Fry."

"_No problem._"

By the time Sutton got to California she was a mess of frayed nerves and jet lag. Every twitch, shudder, and tingle set off in her body had her frantic. She was staggering into the baggage claim when she felt someone grip her at the elbow and tug her along. Sutton stumbled, still uncoordinated, and looked up to see Tony's concerned face.

"But my bag-"

"Don't worry about it."

Sutton huffed just because she was supposed to, but was too tired and terrified to argue. She hadn't seen Tony's face so stern since before they'd gone through the portal and her stomach was sent into a seizure of quivers.

Tony behind the wheel was still as life-threatening as ever, but for once Sutton didn't care. The sooner they got to the lab the better.

"Do you know what's wrong with me?"

Tony shot a look over at her from the corner of his eye.

"Of course not; you just got here."  
Sutton frowned. His fingers were drumming against the steering wheel and his voice had a bit of unnecessary bite.

"But you have a theory?"

He glared at her briefly and then sighed.

"Let's just hope I'm wrong, kid."

Tony wouldn't say more than that and it only seemed to cause her heart to beat faster and more erratically. Once they were in viewing distance of Tony's California home, Sutton felt a bit more hopeful; she sighed.

"Sorry for ruining your and Pepper's vacation."

He looked at her as if she'd just told him that Steve had been frequenting strip clubs.

"Are you serious?"

"Well I-"

"Shut up, Small Fry. I didn't rescue you from prison and give you a job just to watch you disappear piece by piece."

"Technically you didn't-"

"Before you finish that, I'd just like to remind you that I _am_ your boss."

Somehow it was just what she needed to hear. Which made absolutely no sense, but it let her laugh a bit and she knew if anyone were able to help her it'd be Tony.

"Thank you."

Finally they made it up into the drive and Tony rushed her out of the car and to the door. Pepper was waiting for them in the entryway looking concerned but composed.

"Sutton."

"Hey, Pepper. Sorry about rui-"

Pepper rolled her eyes and interrupted her.

"Come on, let's get you to the lab. _Tony_."

Sutton was not surprised that Pepper already knew about the situation. Pepper knew _everything._

Sutton had never been to Tony's California home, more like _mansion_, and so was attempting to soak it all in. It was a bit hard to really appreciate it what with the threat of losing limbs still looming in large in the back of her mind. But she tried anyway. Her worries were forgotten completely for a split second as something across the room moved. Her face split into a grin.

"Dummy!"

The robotic arm sprung up as if surprised at such an enthusiastic greeting on his behalf. Tony rolled his eyes.

"Focus, kid."

He sat her down on one of the lab counter tops and began puttering around grabbing supplies and equipment. In the meantime he began asking her questions about her symptoms, _as if he were a doctor, _and if anymore of her limbs had gone missing. It may or may not have been a joke but either way she was not amused. Sutton's right leg began to tingle painfully and she gasped as the shock ran all the way up her spine. Tony's sharp eyes locked on to her and he rushed to take readings.

"_Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!_"

He must have not liked whatever results he was getting because his gaze flashed up to meet hers and he was scowling.

"How long has this been going on?"

Sutton shrugged, and then winced as her whole body was met with a shock.

"_Ugh_, I don't know. Over a month, at least."

At that answer the fire in Tony's eyes flared and he grit his teeth briefly.

"And you didn't mention this before?" He let out a curse and tried to move faster. "_Geez,_ Small Fry."

"_I'm sorry,_" Sutton snapped. Nausea rolled through her as the humming under her skin increased. She let out a painful moan as she squeezed her eyes shut, but pressed on. "I forgot to bother you with every little thing that goes on in my life. _Tony, I have a cold. Tony, I think I got a hangnail. __**Tony**__, they killed off my favorite TV character!" _She sighed once again. "What is it, Tony? Tell it to me straight. I-_ow!_"

Tony was still scrambling. Sutton could see a sheen of sweat forming on his brow and it only made her all the more anxious. Pepper stood in the background, a hand over her mouth and eyes wide; it made Sutton feel like she was about to keel over at any moment. It took a few seconds, but Tony finally decided to give her a response.

"Do you remember what I said about our universes being on different frequencies? Or something like that?" Sutton nodded that she did remember. "Well, kid, it's taken awhile to manifest, but your molecular structure doesn't match this one's. Your body, as far as I can tell, is trying to find it's way back home."

Sutton paled considerably more than she had already and swayed on the counter top. Her right foot was suddenly mauled by needles and she looked down to find it gone.

"Tony!"

"I see it."

Her eyes were heating up and threatening to spill over as she looked up to Pepper.

"I can't- I can't go home. Not now."

Pepper's face was white, making her freckles stand out even more sharply.

"Darn right you can't," said Tony. "Your body has no way of directing it's energy and even finding the right universe in the first place. The odds of you finding your way home is about one in-"

"Don't tell me the odds," Sutton shouted. "Fix it!"

"Yeah well, maybe if I'd had a bit more warning!"

The next tidal wave of pain was the harshest she'd experienced yet and she fought back a cry of distress as it washed over her. She was too afraid to look down and see what damage was done. Tony's intense cursing and Pepper's gasps were enough to give her a decent clue.

She met Tony's eyes and couldn't stop herself from letting the tears fall.

"I don't have enough time, Small Fry," he said quietly. "I can't-"

But she didn't get to hear the rest of it. The world was suddenly black and silent and she was being torn in a thousand different directions at once. There was no falling or flying or movement. She just _was. _Never had she felt more alone as she did while being pulled through the nothingness of everything. She screamed out loud, and no one heard her.

**/**

**Ok, guys! That's it for this chapter! Hope you all liked it! Let me know what you think! Please? *puppy face* I am posting this from my friends house actually because we're hanging out for her birthday, so you should really appreciate this. I mean, really. I think they're a bit suspicious of what I'm doing. I'm in dangerous territory right now. **


	3. Deserted and Determined

**Darn, darn, darn, darny, darn! Sorry guys! I meant to have this up awhile ago! [Insert excuse here] Also, my dog had surgery and I had to play nursemaid to the runt, so there was that. I may have gone into shock over the price of the surgery, so maybe that's why it's late. **

**Anyway, I want to thank everyone for their amazing reviews! You guys are the best! I seriously felt spoiled last chapter. Every time my phone buzzed with an email I was just like, "pfft. A pinterest notification? Peasant mail!" Thanks for keeping me going! **

**Also, [MAY WANT TO READ THIS PART IF NOTHING ELSE], I just wanted to be sure I was clear on the timelines going on. I know it is probably a bit confusing with so many parts being addressed. But this is the gist of it. What we see with Tony/Sutton is the current time. When we see Asgard and Loki's shenanigans, that's still right after they got back from New York. I wanted to give that arch enough time to build up, and then it should join back up with Sutton's and everyone else's. Just wanted to make sure I wasn't confusing people! **

**/ **

Sutton came back to consciousness retching. She was on her side, face in what felt like hot sand with her sickness sinking into the ground. It was hot. It was _boiling. _An attempt was made to groan, but all that escaped her was a thin, high-pitched whine. She didn't dare move yet. All her joints and limbs felt like she was still tearing herself apart with every tremble.

_So, so hot. _

When she opened her eyes it was unreasonably bright, an ungodly assault of sun rays and she snapped her eyes back closed. Another sad little noise escaped her. Her body was already sweating, she could feel her clothes beginning to stick to her skin, and she figured she'd been lying exposed and vulnerable for longer than she'd would have liked. Eventually, she attempted to lift her right arm. To her great relief it was whole. It was still painful to move, but it had died down to a level she could grit her teeth and get through. With much effort, Sutton pushed herself up and turned away from the mess she'd made in the sand. Because it _was _sand. It was all over her skin and in her clothes and on her tongue.

Her arms were still shuddering uncontrollably as they tried to support the weight she put on them. She decided not to try and stand quite yet. Sutton used the time recuperating to try and get her bearings. The realization just came to her still slow mind that she was in a desert.

"_Wha-"_

Her voice cracked and croaked as if she hadn't used it in a hundred years.

"Tony? _Tony! Pepper! _JARVIS? Hello?"

No one answered her calls. Sutton could feel her heart pick up speed as it raced down to her toes.

_This was not the lab. The was not __good._

She sighed in the back of her throat and tried to look up and guess about what time it was based of the sun and-

_Sutton froze._

Her eyes widened to epic proportions and her fingers dug uselessly into the sand beneath her.

There were two suns. _Two suns._

Her throat felt like it suddenly closed up on her and Sutton was left gaping. Oh no.

_Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no._

With much effort, bones creaking and muscles crying out, Sutton managed to balance on two feet and took a better look around.

Nothing.

There was nothing around her save for sand and heat. There wasn't even any plant life, no cacti or desert grass, to account for.

"Where am I?"  
It took her brain a bit longer, _again_, to come back from the fritz and after baking a bit more she finally realized one simple thing.

She could not stay here in this one spot.

She had to find shelter and water or she'd fry faster than an egg in a hot pan. Her gaze drifted up towards the spot in the sky where the two suns hung, but she forced herself to ignore it. She had to focus on life and death issues for the moment.

And who knew what sorts of creatures called this desert home.

As if to answer her thoughts, there was a sudden eruption of far off noise. Sutton couldn't be quite sure, but it almost sounded like an angry donkey. Several angry donkeys, actually. Except angry donkeys had never made her feel like she was about to pee her pants in terror. She turned in the opposite direction of the haunting sound and took off as fast as her body would allow her. No matter what, she needed to find civilization soon. Otherwise, it'd be death from dehydration or angry mystery animals. Neither one tickled her fancy.

There was only one _teensy_ flaw in Sutton's otherwise radiant plan. She had absolutely no idea how to actually _find_ civilization. There was no way of knowing which way was north, no roads or trails as far as the eye could see, and not even a cacti to try and coax water from to quench her thirst. As far as she knew, she'd been dropped in the middle of the Sahara desert. Her eyes flicked up towards the two suns.

_Ok. Not the Sahara. But still._

More accurately, she had no idea what _planet_ she was on. Was it even one of the nine realms?

"Um, Heimdall," she croaked. Her throat had dried up long ago. "If you can see me, dude, I could use some help. I'm pretty sure you guys will have fixed the Bifrost by now." There was nothing. "I'm friends with Thor," she tried. "Just ask him!"

She waited. Silence.

With a sigh, she continued on. For all she knew she could be going in the absolute wrong direction. Or in circles. Or worse! She wasn't exactly sure what "worse" might be, but she _was_ sure that there was always something.

So Sutton continued on. After all, as long as she kept going in one direction she was bound to get _somewhere. _She could only hope that wherever that was, it was pleasant. Helpful even, if she were being optimistic. But as she staggered on the suns only rose higher and she was beginning to sweat less and less. If only she weren't such a freakin' _northwest polar bear._ Maybe she'd fair better in this weather _then_. Not even almost a year in New York could acclimate her to the heat and humidity.

As she walked she tried to theorize what had happened to her. Tony had told her that her body was "trying to find its way home".

That had obviously not gone well.

_So she was not home; somewhere else then_. That sentence made a couple loops around her brain before its ridiculousness sank in and she scoffed at herself with the little energy she had left. The heat was really getting to her. The few brain cells that she imagined she had left were not fairing well.

As the suns sank lower in the sky Sutton's relish of the sudden coolness was interrupted by dread. She felt like she'd been awake for days. It was going to be dark soon. She still had no food or shelter. Her left foot dragged a little too low and caught on the sand and she stumbled down onto her knees. A dry tongue ran over brittle lips and in that moment she would have curtsied to Loki himself for just one glass of water. Her skin was already a bright, angry red and starting to peel. An attempt to stand back up failed, and Sutton surrendered herself to sinking into the sand.

Was this how she was going to end? Universes away from any home, all because her body had landed her, _quite stupidly_, in the middle of some desert planet? Sutton would have scoffed but now she didn't have enough moisture in her throat to do it. She let the grains of sand press into her face and invade her sweat soaked hair.

She thought of her mom. Of the way her mother had always tried her hardest to brush out Sutton's wild mane before they'd both learned it was pointless. The way her mother would laugh at her stupid jokes and try and counter with a lame pun in return. She thought of her half brother, Tyrese, and her step-dad. Sutton even wondered what Pepper and Tony might be going through right now. Did they think she was already dead? Her body didn't even have enough liquids in it to waste on a tear.

Even as the cooled air began to sink into her bones, Sutton regretted not telling Tony about her symptoms sooner. How was she supposed to know it'd actually be serious!

_Why did he always have to be freaking __right__?_

Her eyes finally drooped, then closed. A new, sparking panic sprung up inside her, but she was too exhausted and dehydrated to move. She didn't want to die! Not so young still! But her muscles were limp and burning under already heated skin.

Even as her throat began to feel like it was closing up, she tried to force herself to see the bright side. Maybe she wouldn't die. Maybe Tony would zap her back home? And, _and even if not_, she swallowed with difficulty at this thought, even if she _didn't_ make it, at least she knew where she was going, right? At least there would be warmth and love and wicked awesome streets made out of gold and gates of pearl. Right? But she really wanted to live a bit longer!

_God, I don't want to die yet. No offense or anything, I just...I just..._

Sutton's thoughts slowly faded to nothing.

[][][][][][][][][][]

The lab was silent as Tony stared dumbly at the countertop where Sutton had been sitting. It was empty. As if no one had been sitting there in the first place. The sound of movement, bare feet on cement floor, broke him out of his daze. He could feel Pepper rest a warm hand on his shoulder.

"Tony," her voice was shaking. "What-what happened?"

Tony let his eyes linger on the empty countertop a moment before his brows furrowed and his lips pulled down into a determined line.

"She's gone," he said. Suddenly, he jerked away standing tall, shoulders stiff and pulled back. "But not for long. JARVIS, get me readings and diagnostics on what just happened. I want numbers, I want data. Pull up the info I entered from last year with her biometric readings. See if she left any recent tissue or blood samples at any doctor's appointments."

"Of course, sir. Collecting data immediately."

Screens began to light up, filling with percentages and bar graphs that meant little to Pepper.

"Tony, what are you doing?"

She tried to move to console him, but he was darting around the lab with more focus than she'd seen him have since he first returned from the Middle East.

"I'm gonna find her, Pep," he said simply.

Of course he was. Always so sure and confident in himself and his abilities. Pepper let her hands fall to her sides helplessly as she watched him work.

"This is...this is big, Tony. You don't know where she is or if she's even..._ok._"

Tony just shrugged nonchalantly.

"I've done it before."

"That was different," Pepper argued. "You only had to find one universe and you knew where everyone was. Now you're going to try and find _one person_ in, in an _infinity_ of universes? Tony, that's impossible!"

Tony snorted a bit under his breath, breaking out of his shock and coming back to himself a bit.

"You know, she was actually a bit more encouraging than you are."

Pepper folded her arms over her chest and watched him drolly.

"I though we agreed it was more _enabling _than anything else_._"

He rolled his eyes when he thought she couldn't see it, but she did. She usually always did. The conversation did not slow him down. His hands were lifting, moving, fingers scrolling through screens, eyes darting from one thing to the next. There was only so much time available to pick up the residual readings from the occurrence that had just happened and he wasn't going to miss whatever he could glean from it. Pepper watched him, frustration and despair clashing against a hope she knew could be dangerous.

"_Tony,_" she said once more in exasperation. "This is too big, _too much_, there is no way you can do it on your own. We all know you're brilliant, but you're a mechanic. You're not a-a-an _astrophysicist _or anything."

His hands stilled and Pepper frowned as his eyes lit up, lips twitching.

_That could either be a really good thing or..._

"No," he agreed. "No I'm not. But I know someone who is..."

[][][][][][][][][][]

There was something cool and refreshing, almost healing, running down her throat. The muscles in Sutton's neck convulsed of their own accord as she began to greedily take in the substance. She couldn't tell what it was, couldn't place the flavor, it didn't even register that it might _have _a flavor. All she knew was that it was filling a need that had been left too long unmet.

"Slow down, not too much now."

The soft voice called her mind away from purely primitive thoughts and she opened her eyes groggily. Her vision was blurry at first. All she could see was a blur of browns and a human shaped mass kneeling over her. Sutton blinked and groaned while arching her back. The sun wasn't beating down on her anymore, but her skin still felt tight and sharp.

"Easy," the voice said. "You're a bit worse for wear, I'm afraid."

The person finally came into focus, and Sutton found herself lying on a a scratchy piece of cloth and staring up at a woman who appeared to be in her mid-thirties. Although, to be fair, she could have been younger too. Sutton was still trying to recover from a brush with death and the woman's face was tanned and lined in a way that gave evidence of hard labor. But hers was an honest face, if a bit plain, and Sutton relaxed slightly.

"What-where am I?"

The woman busied herself with putting away the rustic looking cup Sutton had drank from.

"You're lucky," she said. "Not many survive a trek out into the desert like you did. You must be in someone's favor for those Jawas to 've found you like that."

One of those words caused Sutton to pause mid-thought and she repeated the sentence a few times in her head to find out which one it was.

"Jawas?" Her face blanched. "_Oh no. __Jawas__._" She let loose another long, horrified groan. "_Not Tatooine._ _Please_ tell me I'm not on _Tatooine_."'

The woman gave her a sympathetic look and nodded.

"I'm afraid, unfortunately, you are. I'm called Lyyr, by the way."

"_Sutton,_" Sutton replied automatically.

Lyyr tilted her head at the name, as if it were strange. Then she shook her head.

"Not a Tatooine name, but given your surprise I guess you're not from here. However you found yourself on this planet, I am sorry."

Sutton let out little grunting noises as she pushed herself into a more comfortable sitting position.

"You and me both," she said.

As she attempted to stand on two legs, Lyyr rushed to push her back.

"No, no. Rest still, please." She peered out a small window leading outside and gave a small start. "I must go, or my master will not be pleased. But as you have no identification or credits, you have to stay out of sight. The stormtroopers are not known for being merciful, especially to those in need."

Sutton sucked in a breath and muttered to herself.

"_Well that answers the 'when' question, I guess." _She focused back on Lyyr and responded to the woman's plea. "Ok, I'll stay here. For now."

Lyyr's shoulders slumped and she gave a happy sigh.

"Wonderful. I will return this evening; we can talk more then. There is some salve in the other room for your burns, if you require it."

The way she eyeballed Sutton's body told her that she thought Sutton did need it. Sutton thanked her and then watched as the woman left out the front door. Only when Sutton was sure the lady was gone did she bunch up the threadbare blanket she'd been sitting on and scream into it.

_STAR WARS. She was in flippin' __Star Wars__!_

Sutton was torn between being concerned for her immediate situation or going into full on geek mode.

_Holy crap! Did she have the Force?_

Eying the cup on the counter before her, Sutton threw out a hand and tried to will the cup to come to her. The cup ignored her efforts completely. Throwing her hand back down Sutton huffed angrily and then winced.

_Ouch! Ok, still badly sunburned. Also, still can't use the Force. __Bummer__._

Sutton peered at the window slyly, like a kid trying to make sure their parent was out of sight, and then stood up fully. Her legs wobbled beneath her, but she toughened her resolve and her muscles held true. Her first venture was into the other room which held the salve. The skin on her face and arms was on fire and taut.

There was little in the next room to look through in her search. It was a small space that held nothing more than a table, a couple chairs, and a few utensils that looked to be for cooking. If she were to guess, Sutton would say that Lyyr's house was smaller even than her own apartment in New York. (And that was saying something.)

The salve was in a small, rusted circular tin. When Sutton actually saw it, she lost all notions of experiencing much relief. She could not mindlessly slather globs of this on and bask in whatever bliss it brought. The tin was only halfway filled, and it appeared that the stuff was homemade. She sighed in disappointment and sparingly dabbed only a bit on the most painful patches of skin. It helped to soothe, like aloe, but gave off an entirely different scent. It was more musty in comparison to aloe's freshness. Still, it managed to help a bit, and Sutton was able to concentrate on other issues.

_Like how the heck was she going to get back to Marvel earth from a planet in a galaxy __far__far__away__?_

Sutton forced herself to take a calming breath, arms motioning up as she took in air and then gesturing back down as she released it.

_Everything was going to be ok. She would get through this. Again._

There wasn't much to see in the rest of the house, if it could be called that, and Lyyr didn't even have any droids for Sutton to poke at. She had the uneasy suspicion that Lyyr was probably a slave here on Tatooine. In the kitchen she found some bread-like substance and nibbled on it a bit. Normally she wouldn't even dare to _touch_ someone else's food without asking first, but she was starving. And she was pretty sure that Lyyr would have mentioned helping herself to a morsel if memory had struck her. Still, she only ate an unnoticeable amount and couldn't get herself to touch anything else. Sutton also strategically napped.

Really. What else was she supposed to do? She wasn't allowed outside and she didn't even know _exactly_ when she was in the timeline. The stormtroopers could have gotten here a week ago, or Luke could be zipping around the solar system in the Millennium Falcon. There was just no way for her to currently know.

By the time Lyyr returned that evening, Sutton felt half mad with boredom and worry.

_Why hadn't Tony zapped her back yet? He was disgustingly smart. He had first-hand experience in universe jumping. Where was he?_

Lyyr looked exhausted as she walked through the '_swooshing_' door, but smiled when she saw Sutton as if greeting an old friend.

"Oh good, I was worried you might have left."

Sutton shrugged.

"Well, I don't exactly have anywhere else to go. _Thank you_, by the way."

Lyyr smiled softly, her thin lips stretching down and pulling in.

"This planet could use more kindness," she said. "If I cannot find any, I will create some myself."

Sutton sobered instantly. Her shoulders slumped and she bit her lip lightly.

"Well, thank you. _Again._"

Lyyr clapped her hands suddenly.

"Let me prepare a meal and then we can discuss your situation. Care to help?"

Sutton jumped to attention, feeling like she'd forgotten her manners.

"Oh, of course! What would you like me to do?"

[][][][][][][][][][]

Loki waited. And he did not have to wait long. If there was ever an effective motivator, it was most assuredly _doubt_. Doubt and fear. Doubt and fear he knew. He knew how to weave and twist them to his needs. He knew it intimately, how it worked, how it slithered into the deepest crevices of your soul and would freeze and thaw until it cracked everything you blindly hoped for apart. There was a dark beauty in it. And the _most_ beautiful part? He didn't have to do a thing.

With breakfast came a new guard. This one was a bit more robust, older, with determined eyes and strong jaw. He did not give Loki his tray immediately. Loki gave the guard a rather scathing look; it was rather impressive really. Especially since he was sitting in a chair lazily, legs spread out, by a small table with his chin resting on one hand.

"Apologies," he said through a flash of teeth. "No autographs today, I'm afraid."

The guard gave him a queer look, probably not sure what he meant, but then hardened his gaze. He obviously did not appreciate a Midgard joke when he heard one. Loki sighed as if he had to put up with such abhorrent behavior.

"Am I to starve on your whim, then?"

The guard's lip twitched in a sort of dark amusement.

"Such a death would not be fitting for you, I'm afraid," he said boldly. Loki sat forward in interest, his lips twisting up. The soldier continued on unafraid. "Your guard from last night has claimed that you refuse to share your knowledge about Malekith."

Loki gave the man a quizzical look.

"And this bothers you," he acknowledged. "Why?"

The soldier's fingers flexed around the tray of food as he obviously debated how much to disclose to the prisoner. Finally, he sighed.

"My wife serves as a Seer in the palace. She has told me that when she peers into Asgard's future all she sees is...darkness. As if the universe never was."

Loki lifted both brows, his eyes widening.

"Surely, Odin must then be informed. And immediately."

He watched as the soldier fought back a scowl.

"She has informed the _Allfather_," he agreed.

Loki let his shoulders relax as if in relief.

"Then all will be well," he stated. "Odin is bound to trust the advice of his Seers, if not myself."

The ire in the soldier's eyes only intensified.

"No," he said. "The Allfather claimed that the dark only showed that my wife's abilities had faded to nothing. He also assured us that Asgard's defenses would not even flicker against an assault from the dark elves, should they _actually_ still exist, and their dated weaponry."

Waving a hand in dismissal, Loki leaned back in his seat.

"Well now, there you have it. Safe as a relic in the vaults themselves."

He was rewarded with the guard grinding his teeth.

"My wife's visions have never been wrong; she is _not_ losing her Sight."

Loki appeared to take the man's words to heart and deliberate on them. He sat back in his seat, fingers stroking at his chin in concerned thought. His eyes swiveled back to the soldier who had still yet to give him his morning meal.

"I believe you," he finally said. "And yet, it is not _my_ place to defy Odin."

The soldier frowned at this statement, seeming to notice inconsistencies in Loki's opinions and claims.

"You've defied the Allfather at every turn. You descended upon Midgard to destroy it, and now you return home, a prisoner, and try to claim innocence."

Loki's lips tugged up marginally before his face was once again somber.

"I have never claimed innocence," he said. "Tell me, have you heard-_no. _I would not wish to poison your already fretting mind. You would dismiss it anyway."

The soldier straightened, his eyes hard.

"I can fish out lies better than most you've deceived, I'm sure. Speak your mind and I'll decide on your honesty myself. My worries for Asgard cannot grow more than they already have."

The look Loki wore spoke of his hesitance to give away the information he had dangled before the guard.

"You will only blame me for your worry," he tried. But the solider did not budge. "Fine, if you wish." His next words were hushed and predatory. "Tell me, have you ever heard of the _Mad Titan_?"

[][][][][][][][][][]

Sutton finished up her exotic meal and sheepishly looked up at her table neighbor. The food hadn't been _bad_. It was just..._strange_. Different. With one last bite, she put her utensil down on the plate and looked up. Lyyr was finished as well and staring back at her. Sutton tried to give her a small smile.

"It was good," she said. "I've never had anything like it."

Lyyr gave a twist of the lips.

"It is a common dish. Cheap, and easy to make. I have it most nights."

Sutton frowned but didn't comment on it. Lyyr's eyes shifted and Sutton knew that the questions were about to come. She wasn't disappointed.

"Where are you from?"

Sutton sighed and tried to be vague.

"Far away from here. I- I didn't mean to come here, actually."

Lyyr tilted her head back, as if coming to an understanding.

"You are running from something," she said. "I won't pry."

Sutton laughed ruefully.

"More like trying to run _back_ to something. But I don't know if I'll ever _be able_ to get back."

Lyyr's face turned sad, and she nodded.

"That's not to say," Sutton continued, "that I'd like the stormtroopers to know I'm here. Like you said, I have nothing to my name except whatever you found on me."

"I wouldn't even turn over my master to the likes of the stormtroopers," Lyyr declared. Her voice lowered to not be overheard. "The Empire has been beating down on all the systems for far too many years."

That perked Sutton up. If the Empire had been established for years already, then maybe it was closer to ending than not. She definitely didn't want to be caught up in the interstellar warfare. No matter how cool this universe was, it was real now. And if there was one thing she'd learned from her adventure with the Avengers, it was that your favorite movie wasn't as great when you were part of the danger. She sincerely did _not _want a close encounter of the Vader kind. Her fingers brushed lightly across her throat as the though flickered through her mind. At the realization that Lyyr was still watching, she snatched her hand back down and dismissed her action with an exaggerated sigh.

"That's true," she agreed. "But, can I tell you something? You can't tell anyone else."

Lyyr's eyes shifted nervously. Her hands clenching to fists temporarily before relaxing.

"I-I suppose?"

Sutton gave her a reassuring smile and whispered her next words.

"_The Empire won't last forever._"

Lyyr jerked back, looking startled.

"Are-are you...are you one of _them_?"

Sutton knew exactly to whom Lyyr was referring.

"Not exactly," she confessed. "But I know _of_ a couple."

Lyyr shook her head, pushing away from the table and collecting the dirty dishware.

"We can't be discussing this," she said. "We _can't._"

Sutton did not mind changing the subject. She really didn't want to go into specifics on anything anyway. And the last thing she wanted to do was put Lyyr in danger after she'd been so hospitable to her. The characters found on Tatooine usually weren't the type to offer you a warm bed and a meal. They were more apt to stab you in the back and take whatever credits you had. She was insanely blessed that Lyyr had gotten to her first, _however the woman had managed it._

Sutton got up and helped Lyyr with washing the dishes. It reminded her a bit of home. Her mom would wash and Sutton would dry, Tyrese would get to put away. She missed them more than she ever imagined she could. It seemed to hit her even harder now that she knew she was _another_ universe removed from home.

_Tony better be working on something! She couldn't survive very long on her own, she just knew it._

Besides, this universe wasn't her home either. Was she stuck here now for a year too? Was she going to be constantly pulled from place to place for the rest of her life?

She shuddered at the thought.

[][][][][][][][][][]

Tony stood in baggage claim and watched as a short, chocolate haired woman struggled with her luggage. He sighed, rolled his eyes, and then stepped forward to grip the mammoth duffel bag and yank it off the conveyor belt. The duffel was stiff, and clinked more than anything. Bulges protruded from underneath and confirmed that the woman had packed more equipment than clothes.

"Oh! Um, thanks, I-_oh. _Mr. Stark!"

Tony gave the woman one of his winning grins.

"Dr. Foster."

Jane Foster blushed under the gaze of _the_ Tony Stark and pushed back a strand of hair behind her ear. Taking a moment to breath, she stuck out her hand.

"It's wonderful to actually meet you. When you called, I didn't think- I never would have guessed-"

"Your Foster Theory is truly remarkable. This really shouldn't be the first time we're meeting."

Jane's eyes shone under the praise and she couldn't seem to control the large grin that spread over her face.

"_Thank you_. And I've actually been wanting to talk with you. _S.H.I.E.L.D,_" she said scathingly, "never told me much, but they said something may have happened after the final battle in New York?"

Tony flinched almost unnoticeably.

"That's a bit of an understatement."

It was the only encouragement Jane needed and her hands flew about her as she talked.

"After finding Thor and discovering that there _were_ other realms, I've been putting all my efforts into building earth's own Einstein Rosen Bridge. And then S.H.I.E.L.D casually mentions you may have _briefly experienced_ time in another plane?"

Her face was open in wonderment. Tony smirked and started directing her to the doors and the car that waited for them outside.

"I'm not under S.H.I.E.L.D's payroll," he said blandly. "If you have questions, you can ask them. It'd be nice just to tick them off, ruffle their feathers a bit. But that's not exactly why I asked you here."

Jane calmed herself and rearranged her face into a more professional appearance.

"_Right._ You said something about other _universes_? I'm not quite sure I know what you mean."

"There'll be a debriefing once we get back to the tower; we can all go over the details then."

They finally reached the car, Jane's duffel bag was crammed into the trunk with a bit of difficulty and Tony led her around to the back seats.

"_All of us?_"

Tony's lip twitched up and he opened the car door for her. Another male figure was already sitting inside.

"Dr. Foster, I'm sure you may be familiar with the work of a Dr. Reed Richards?"

**/**

**Soooo! I know most people thought this was where the Doctor came in, but not quite yet! I'm going a bit of a different direction. (They only let you do one crossover in the description.) I hope no one is too put off or disappointed.**

**It was a liiiittle bit longer than usual because I felt bad about the delay. And I'm not sure if I'm going to keep doing this back and forth with perspective thing so much as I go along. I feel like it might be distracting and chop everything up too much. I just wanted to kind of establish what's going on in each perspective a bit before diving more into it. **

**Let me know what you think? Like it? No? What/when/why? What's your favorite planet (ever)? Is it hot where you live? Did you just get that thing you really wanted? Anything. Tell me anything.**


	4. Desperate Decisions Eccentric Equations

**This is a day late and a dollar short, but I'm getting it up now! I feel bad that I've been so sparse with updates, so this chapter is longer than the usual! Thanks again for everyone who's sticking around and adding this to their alerts/favs! It means a lot to me! **

**Anon. Reviews:**

**Guest (chp 2): Sorry! I missed your review last time! Thanks so much! I'm so glad you've been looking forward to this story! *squee***

**M: Oh my goodness, wow! Thank you so much! I feel honored! I just...I...I can't- Thank you! And the Doctor Who portion of the story should be easy to follow along and understand. As I'm just catching up with Doctor Who myself, I probably won't be making any deep, super fan references. It'll probably stay a bit more light-hearted and fun. So happy to hear that you're enjoying the story! **

**[][][][][][][][][][]**

It had been a week on Tatooine and Sutton was..._coping_. Under Lyyr's care, she'd mostly recovered from her near death experience. Her skin would take more time to heal, but it was not as red, and the peeling had reduced from what it had been the first day. Lyyr had a spare set of clothes to offer and Sutton was wearing her new Star Wars threads while waiting for laundry day. Waiting for washing day in general, actually. Apparently, she had learned quickly, people did not bathe daily on Tatooine. At least not unless you were fabulously wealthy. The Hutts that lived on the planet could afford it, Lyyr had informed her, but then, they weren't much for bathing in the first place.

Sutton was not pleased with this information. She was used to showering. _Regularly_. And lord knew she needed it now more than ever. But it was hard enough moisture farming on this planet as it was and water was not a commodity. So Sutton kept her complaints to herself. Besides, Lyyr was being such a gracious host, and Sutton was loathe to put her out more than she already had.

But she was starting to get restless. There was an itch inside her to _move_, to do _something._ To _act!_ She couldn't just sit for a year _waiting,_ _hoping_ without reason that she'd be sent back to Marvel earth. The odds of that were nil as it was. Sutton knew that there really wasn't anyone who could help with her problem, not in this universe anyway, but she still felt like she needed to actually try something before she just gave up and rotted on this god-forsaken planet. Only a week in, and she already despised Tatooine with as much fervor as a local.

It was a stroke of luck that Lyyr came back to her abode at the end of the week and informed Sutton that she was getting a break from work. Her master was closing down his shop for a few days to attend the funeral of a relative, _got on the wrong side of Jabba Lyyr bet, _and she was getting the time off as well because the master didn't trust her with his money.

"Thinks I'll skim some off the top and finally have enough to buy my freedom," Lyyr snorted. "As if I'd ever give him an excuse to force me back when I finally get free."

Sutton clamped her teeth down and tried not to growl. She still was having a hard time of accepting the fact that slavery was allowed. It was a bad taste in her mouth that she could do nothing about.

"It's not fair," she said. "It's not right that they can do this to you. You are a human being with rights!"

Lyyr just smiled sadly.

"If everyone thinks like you do on your planet, then I'd like to go there."

Sutton refrained from reacting in a way that was suspicious.

"My planet is _extremely_ far away." She tried to deflect the conversation. "But I hear that Naboo is nice."

Lyyr hummed in agreement.

"Yes, I've heard that Alderaan is wonderful too."

Sutton jerked so violently in her chair that she almost fell out of it and face-planted on the floor.

"No! Not Alderaan!"

Lyyr sat up straight, looking perplexed. Her brows furrowed as he peered oddly at Sutton over her tarnished cup.

"I'm sorry?"

"I mean, I just mean-well, I think Naboo would be the better choice. I've heard...rumor that Alderaan, er, the situation on Alderaan is getting a bit..._explosive._"

Lyyr's eyes widened at the news and lowered her cup to the table.

"I hadn't heard that. Where are you getting your information?" Her face suddenly paled in remembrance that Sutton had mentioned knowing Rebels and she shook her head. "Never mind. I don't want to know."

Sutton was relieved.

"Anyway," Sutton pushed on. "Do you think it would be much trouble, since you have a few days off, to go into town and look around a bit? I'm afraid I'm getting a bit stir crazy. You're house is wonderful! I just, I need to see if there's anything to...to-"

"-to help you get back home," Lyyr finished. Her eyes darted off to the side in thought and her face became pinched. After much deliberation, she sighed. "I have a shawl that you can cover your face with. You have clean skin and no evidence of hard labor; the local thugs would notice that. We can go out tomorrow, but you must stay by my side. The locals around these parts aren't to be trifled with."

"That won't be a problem," Sutton agreed, growing excited. "And I've dealt with my share of jerks before, believe me."

Sutton was a bit tense as she walked down the sandy, stall-lined alley. There was the same anxiety she felt when walking alone through busy Seattle, but multiplied. Not only were there shifty, dirty humans to keep an eye on, but there were also aliens of various species whose facial expressions she could not decipher.

Lyyr continued to tug her along whenever she became distracted by a vendor or alarmed by a new alien face. Sutton was not exactly sure where they were going, and she was fairly certain Lyyr didn't either. But she was getting a tour of whatever-main-town-this-was, Tatooine and hoping to catch a glimpse of something useful along the way. Lyyr caught Sutton's attention and pointed at one of the clay domes with shuttered doors.

"That is where I work," she said.

It wasn't much different than the other dusty colored domed buildings, and Sutton just nodded. It was probably a parts shop, as many places on Tatooine were. Sutton didn't think the planet had much else to offer the universe.

Still, the town was as bustling and hot as the movie had made these sorts of towns seem, probably more so. Sutton was still having to force herself to not react when she came upon an alien creature. Computer graphics and puppetry were one thing, but _real _life was a whole different story.

There were market stalls lined down the road and shady characters stood around trying to make eye contact and sell their wares. Sutton didn't even mind that all but her eyes were blocked by a light tan, scratchy cloth. It helped to hide her reactions that would stand out in a place like this and helped to keep the sand out of her mouth. As she trotted along beside Lyyr, Sutton tried to take the opportunity to be clever and come up with some plan of how to leave this place.

_Ok, find Solo, use his hyper-drive and channel it to-uh... Well, if Obi-wan is still alive, get him to..._

Obviously she was having a hard time thinking of anything relatively useful. She just wasn't Tony Stark or Bruce Banner. She still wasn't sure how they'd gotten everyone to Marvel earth in the first place. After the first few minutes of them trying to give a scientific explanation, she kind of zoned out. _Actually, she'd tried to teach Thor how to play tic-tac-toe during the debriefing._ _Oops._

After a few minutes pointlessly attempting to plot universal escape, followed by a frustrated sigh, Sutton decided to let it go and take in the scenery. Besides, she should probably be a little more on guard around the likes of the people she was wondering through. Scourge of society and all. Lyyr was poised stiffly beside her, though she still had the air of someone who walked this road routinely.

Lyyr led them around a corner and suddenly Sutton paused as she was struck with an odd sense of de ja vu. A familiar noise floated up from a sandy building a ways in front of them.

"Wait!"

She tugged on the back of Lyyr's robe and tried to figure out if the sound was what she suspected it to be. After a few moments and a few irritated glances from Lyyr, Sutton broke out into a grin. Lyyr couldn't see it, of course, but she definitely would be able to notice the way Sutton's eyes crinkled at the corners.

"_Oh man,_" Sutton chirped with glee. "_The Mos Eisley Catina!_" She frowned as she looked to Lyyr. "You didn't tell me this was Mos Eisley."

Lyyr shrugged.

"I thought it spoke for itself."

Sutton opened her mouth to protest, thought about it, and then tilted her head in agreement.

"Come on then, I need to see it!"

She grabbed Lyyr's sleeve and made to tug her along as she followed the noise forward, but Lyyr dug her heels into the sand.

"Are you mad, girl? Don't you know the kind of clientele that the Catina draws in?"

"Of course," Sutton rebutted. "Scoundrels, low-lifes, the dregs of society. I still need to see it though. _Oh look!_ That dome thing!"

Lyyr hissed through clenched teeth in displeasure, but was forcefully dragged on by Sutton.

"There are stormtroopers patrolling," she tried to threaten. Sutton shrugged it off.

"I've already seen a few. And I'm wearing this shawl. _And_ we aren't going to give them a reason to stop us."

As they drew nearer to the Catina the crowd grew less and less respectable, if that were possible. Sutton could hear the music clearly now. Her stomach did a flip inside her. She only stopped when she realized that Lyyr was no longer behind her. Turning around, she cast a questioning look at her guide and was met with a wary, stone face.

"I will not go in there," Lyyr told her. "Nothing good ever goes in or comes out."

Sutton couldn't exactly disagree with that statement. There was, of course, always the example of Luke and Obi-Wan, but she wasn't supposed to know about them.

"It's ok," she said. "You don't have to. I just want to take a quick look around, I promise."

Lyyr's face lost even more color.

"Please, you don't belong in a place like that. You'll be killed."

That shot a shock of discomfort down Sutton's spine, but she tried to shake it off. This could be the one hope she had to get home. Maybe, _somehow_, someone in there could help. Or rather, maybe one of the _main characters _could help.

Because that's how these things worked, right? In all the stories it's the main characters that are your best chance. It was the longest shot, flimsiest thread of an excuse she'd ever come up with, but it was all she had.

"I just want to look," she repeated. "I probably won't even see what I'm looking for. I'll be right back out. Just...wait a few minutes."

And with that, she disappeared into the bar.

Instantly, it was one of the worst decisions she knew she'd made so far. It was dimmer inside the bar, and she gave her eyes a few seconds to adjust. After they did, she could see why Lyyr refused to enter the place. It smelled odd, like body odor, but not quite human or familiar. It felt like all eyes were on her in one of those cheesy scenes where the music rips to a stop and people gape. Except, these weren't even really people! There were harsh faces, inhuman and threatening peering from the corners of the room and the hair on the back of Sutton's neck was standing on end. She swore she saw a werewolf, Cthulhu, and Satan himself.

The upbeat music that she knew and loved suddenly served to make the situation feel a bit nightmarish. Sutton slunk around the edges of the bar and tried to stay out of sight. She had no money for a drink, _didn't want one even if she did,_ and she figured the owner wouldn't be too thrilled to know that she was taking up space without any intention of being a customer.

Her eyes darted around the room once again, and she spotted the band that anyone on her planet would recognize. She smirked, but then the seriousness of her situation creeped back into her mind and she let her lips fall back into a firm line. The bar tender had spotted her when she walked in, probably gave everyone who came in a once over, but left her alone for now. Sutton could only hope his ignoring her would last. It wasn't like there were many ladies in this place, _not that she could tell with some of these things,_ but it seemed like someone like her was bound to draw attention. Sutton bit her bottom lip and tried to focus around the room.

And then she heard it.

Her heart pumped out a furious beat in an instant. And her lips went dry. There, in one of the booths on the side of the wall sat two familiar figures.

_"Yeah, but this time, I've got the money."_

There was a response in an alien language, and Sutton used the time to creep a bit closer. She was nearer the bar now, trying to not make eye contact with the other patrons while she watched the scene unfold.

"_I __don't__ have it __with__ me. Tell Jabba-"_

Her pulse was speeding through her arteries and shooting back up to her heart. From her vantage point she could watch as _Han freaking Solo _slowly reached for the blaster in the holster on his side.

_"Even I get boarded sometimes. Do you think I had a choice?"_

This was the part where Greedo threatened Han with Jabba taking the Millennium Falcon.

"_Over my dead body."_

Sutton could see the bartender shooting her suspicious glances out of the corner of her eye. She was immensely grateful for the shawl covering her face.

_"__Yes__, I bet you have."_

She couldn't have looked away even if she'd wanted to. This would be the moment to end all and any debates back on earth. This was the moment fans rebelled against Lucas about. This was the part Sutton knew with her whole nerdy heart the director got wrong with the revised edition.

The next few seconds unfolded in slow motion. Greedo's finger didn't even have a chance to pull on the trigger. There was a sharp _pew-_ing noise, an explosion of smoke, laser lights, and Han Solo sat casually reclined in the booth looking as though for all the world he'd just only watched an obnoxious friend pass out drunk. Sutton stared entranced as he slowly stood and tossed some coinage to the bar tender.

_"Sorry for the mess."_

_Yes! Yes, she knew it! Han shot first!_

As he swaggered out of the bar, Sutton shook herself from her trance and stood to her full height to scurry after him. Bursting out from the dimly lit bar, Sutton blinked against the harsh suns and tried to figure out which way he went.

"Solo!?"

Lyyr was still standing by the entrance when Sutton flew out and the poor woman's face was severely pinched in exasperation.

"What are you _doing!_"

"I'm trying to find Han Solo! Come on!"  
Sutton caught the sight of a black vest disappearing into an alley and she sped off, Lyyr being forced to follow.

"_Han Solo?_"

But Sutton was focused on trying to catch up with the space smuggler.

_Had he met up with Luke and Obi-Wan yet? Think, think, think... Yes! The money! That's why he was saying he didn't have it with him. Crap, they'd be leaving soon!_

Where were they going? Which port? Gosh darn it! It was a number, wasn't it? Geesh, how fast could the guy _swagger?_

Sutton didn't know why she felt like she needed to catch up with him. Really, he would be useless. Less than useless, actually. _(He was still pretty scoundrel-y at this point.)_ But it would be a move to do _something_, and right now Obi-Wan was still alive so there was the tiniest bit of hope to cling to. The only hope of getting off Tatooine at _least._

It could have also been the fact that she really, _really _wanted to meet them.

Just a little.

[][][][][][][][][][]

Tony was busy. He was _working._ He did not have time to do anything as trivial as answering the door. JARVIS was supposed to be getting rid of the nuisance, but the digital butler kept insisting that the unwelcome guest would not leave. With a growl of annoyance, Tony told his two companions to continue on without him and marched for the front door.

_"Peeeepppppeeerrrrr! I'm trying to woooork!"_

[I'm afraid she's out, sir. Something about not being able to handle three of _'them'. _I am assuming she meant minds leant towards the sciences.]

Tony gave a derisive snort and finally reached the front door. Wrenching the door open, Tony sneered up at the intruder. A tall, tanned-skin _boy _stood on his doorstep looking severe and concerned.

"Mr. Stark, I'm-"

"Late, obviously. _Sheesh_. You'd think with all the training they pump into you, you could at least show up at a decent time."

The young man stammered a bit while blinking.

"I-I'm sorry?"

Tony rolled his eyes.

"Get in here, Axel. Time is of the essence you know."

Axel Ladino stepped hesitantly into Tony's foyer and arched an eyebrow in question.

"Oh come on, you didn't think I'd hire _another _one of you without actually knowing it this time. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me- _eh_- you get it. Point is, S.H.I.E.L.D would really have to step up their game in order to bypass my systems now."

Axel, to his credit, recovered fairly quickly from realizing that he'd never had a cover with his "boss" in the first place.

"Then you know why I'm here," he said. "S.H.I.E.L.D detected a high power surge near your California home and Sutton's been missing. Where is she?"

Tony tensed a bit before waving the kid to follow him down to the lab.

"_Gone_," he said snippily.

"Mr. Stark," Axel butt in, "it's my given mission to ensure that Ms. Regan stays safe at all times and I need your cooperation to-"

"I'm not hiding her from you, kid," Tony clarified. "I mean that the 'high power surge' that happened _in_ my house, _do you guys need help calibrating your spectrometers?, __was_ Sutton."

Tony began punching in his code to the lab as Axel raised his hands in a halting gesture.

"Wait, wait, wait. What do you _mean_ it was _Sutton?"_

"I mean exactly that. Sutton is gone, _poof_, vamoosed. No longer in this universe. Why did you think I'd holed myself up here recently with two of the next best minds on the planet? Not that Drs Foster and Richards and I couldn't have a great time on our own, but I'm a man in a serious relationship now. Don't you read the tabloids?"

Axel, despite his professional training, couldn't help but stammer in the face of such a startling proclamation.

"Bu-but, I'm supposed to _protect_ her. I-is she, she-"

"We don't know exactly what's happened to her," Tony admitted grudgingly. "But she had a lot of power trapped in that shrimpy body. I'm sure she's ok, if she can just keep her head on straight until we find her."

Axel sent a sidelong glance at Tony as he joined him in the middle of the lab.

"You've met Sutton, right? She kind of needs someone to look after her."

Tony shot the newcomer an unappreciative look.

"I've known her longer than you," he said snidely. He turned suddenly, leaning one hip against a lab table. "You seem a bit more interested in Sutton's wellbeing than necessary." Tony crossed his arms over his chest and glared up at Axel. "Surveillance footage shows you putting in a little overtime in trying to win her over to liking you. Tell me, how's it feel to fail so bad-"

"_Tony." _Jane Foster cut off the tirade before it could get any uglier. "We need to be focusing, _remember?_

Taking the woman's advice, Tony scoffed derisively, shooed Axel to a chair in the corner, and joined the other doctors back at the main work station. They were utilizing all of the technology that the lab provided in order to try and crack the inter-dimensional traveling code. Tony had done it once already, obviously, but searching multiple universes for a single soul was a bit more complicated. They didn't even know what the frequencies for other universes were exactly. Jane Foster, for all it was worth, was practically salivating over all the information Tony had pulled up from their first trip. Reed Richards was slightly more subdued, but no less passionate, in his own corner. He was a younger man with dark hair and a youthful face, freshly out of college and with more degrees than should have been possible.

Reed glanced up at the newly arrived S.H.I.E.L.D recruit, quickly nodding in acknowledgement, before going back to his research. Jane eyed the latino with distrust.

"You're actually going to let the S.H.I.E.L.D agent stay," she asked. In a whisper to Tony she continued, not taking eyes off the young man. "They haven't proven to be very trustworthy. Last time we met up they _stole_ all my research, _and_ they let Erik be taken by Loki."

"He won't be a problem," Tony dismissed. "And don't worry, Dr. Foster, your work is safe here. This is a '_no-touchy zone'_ for all visiting personnel. Besides," he added in a quieter tone, "we'll save time if we don't have to keep kicking him out of the tower every couple minutes. I've read the kid's file. He's persistent, thinks himself the noble sort."

Jane didn't look convinced, but as it wasn't her lab she didn't have much room to argue. Instead, she shot the agent a skeptical glare and joined Reed on the other side of the room.

"There are rules, though," Tony dictated to Axel. "Visiting hours and confidentiality agreements and whatnot."

"You kind of got rid of any competition Stark Industries had when you took Hammer out of business," Axel noted.

Tony could help but smirk in a smarmy fashion.

"Hammer was never real competition in the first place."

The three scientists continued on in their work completely ignoring the man in the corner. The data was too fascinating and the problem too complicated to waste on worrying over his attention. Tony flicked a screen up in front of him and scanned through the numbers. He pointed out a series of numbers that scrolled across the screen.

"That's her specific biometric frequency," he said as the other two doctors moved closer to observe. "You can see were it differentiates from ours _right..._here."

Jane's face was twisted in thought.

"So that's where we should be honing in our search," she said. "By these two examples, we can assume that the basis of all molecular structure is the same, except for a uniqueness that is specific to a certain universe. Something like a serial code."

"Except," Reed cut in, "the big detractor here, is we don't know our variables. Unless we start inserting random combinations into this section, we have no idea just were to look. If we go by guessing, we could be wasting our time looking through space that doesn't even exist."

Turning, Reed pulled up a new screen which held the data Tony had collected after Sutton's disappearance.

"This is the most substantial information we really have to go off of."

One of the graphs was a 3-D reconstruction of the lab at the scene, with rings going out to signify the power surge that had happened.

"Look at it," Reed continued. "That was one of the largest power surges probably ever recorded. It obviously got S.H.I.E.L.D's attention. Something of this magnitude is sure to leave ripples, especially to wherever she travelled to. We just need to find out how to trace them."

"Right," said Tony a little flatly. "JARVIS?"

[Sir, I believe that this is a bit beyond my programming.]

"Oh, don't be so humble; it doesn't suit you."

He could have sworn that the digital AI actually sighed.

[I will do what I can, sir.]

"That's more like it."

[][][][][][][][][][]

Sutton had finally caught up with the vested scallywag and was currently sneaking behind him towards the shipping docks. Lyyr was indignant with confusion by her side. She had attempted to demand answers several times now, each attempt being rebutted by Sutton telling her to _shhh._

They were at the station now, and Sutton could feel her heart pumping just beneath her skin. The kinds of people and aliens hanging around this area were especially shifty looking. And both women weren't completely avoiding stares. Sutton turned to Lyyr, eyes beginning to shine guilt.

"Hey," she said. "You don't have to come any further."

"We should not even be here! Do you know the kinds of men that hang around these parts?"

Sutton sighed and rubbed at her face.

"I know. I am so grateful for everything you did for me this last week. And if I ever get the opportunity I will pay you back. But, I'm planning on getting on that ship."

Lyyr looked stricken, her face paling and her arm shot out to grasp Sutton at the elbow.

"Do you know what smugglers do to stowaways? You'll be shot out the airlocks if you're caught! And you're sure to be!"

Sutton patted Lyyr on the hand and gave her a comforting smile.

"I know I'll be fine. I just have to do this, Lyyr, or I'll never leave this place. Really," she said, "this is my only hope. I can't pass it up."

Lyyr did not look like she'd be agreeing any time soon. Sutton did not have time to convince her, probably never would be able to anyway. All she knew was that the Millennium Falcon would be leaving soon and if she missed it, she may as well kiss any hope of getting back to Marvel earth goodbye.

_Unless Tony got his butt in gear and teleported her home, but that wasn't looking promising so far. _

She pulled the shawl away from her mouth to better talk to Lyyr without feeling like there was a barrier between them. Some of her hair escaped it's confines because of the move and sprung up around her face.

"Look, they'll be leaving soon, and I really have to get on board. I just-" As she pushed some hair back, her hand brushed against her ear, and and she had a revelation. "Is gold valuable on Tatooine," she asked abruptly.

"I-I, what? Yes, it's valuable everywhere, I suppose. Especially here, where there is little natural resources."

Sutton grinned and then worked to remove both of her earrings.

"Perfect, then I'm giving you these."

Two small gold hoop earrings were transferred from her person and forced into Lyyr's hand. She'd forgotten all about them as she'd been focusing on actually surviving.

"They're real gold; I had got them for work," Sutton told her. "And if you're smart about it, you can probably get enough from them for your freedom and a bit extra."

Once again Lyyr looked taken back and dumbfounded.

"No! You could buy passage with these! I can't-"  
Sutton closed the woman's fingers over the gift and smiled, still conscious of her dwindling timeline.

"I insist. It's the least I can do after you saved my life. And I can't leave here knowing I could have helped you and didn't. If you don't keep them, I'll just toss them out anyway. They are all but useless to me right now."

Lyyr's eyes flooded with tears and she sucked in a ragged breath. It seemed she was speechless as her mouth opened and closed a few times without uttering a syllable. Her fingers tightened around the two small pieces of jewelery and she clutched them to her chest.

"I, I can't think of what to say."

"It's just like you said," Sutton reminded her. "Sometimes you have to make your own kindness in this world. Now, will you be ok getting back home?"

Lyyr nodded rapidly and then pulled Sutton into a fierce hug.

"I don't know where you are from, or why you are so gracious, but I will never forget you and what you did for me," she promised.

Sutton hugged her back.

"Same here. _Thank you._"

Breaking away, Sutton gave one last nod goodbye to the woman who had saved her life when she had no reason to, and then turned and darted off into the crowd. Her eyes were a little moist themselves, but she was able to blink it back. She had a mission. She still had to sneak aboard the Millennium Falcon without drawing attention to herself and before the stormtroopers arrived.

_Easy-peasy. Right?_

It was only when she didn't have Lyyr by her side that Sutton realized what a dangerous area she was in. This was the Mos Eisley space port! Home to all sorts of scum and villainy! And it really showed. Once again, Sutton was thankful for the cloth she could use in covering her face. After a few turns, _Sutton was trying very hard to remember what their route to the dock looked like in the movie_, she spotted a set of stairs with a couple of familiar figures at the bottom.

Slower now, she tip-toed down the short flight of stairs and hovered in the shadowed doorway. Chewbaca was following warily behind a Han Solo who was placating a hideous looking Jabba the Hutt. Sutton pressed a hand against her mouth to stifle any gag reflex. He had been disgusting in the films, but here he was actual flesh and slime. It was like a giant booger slug! How could Solo be okay with standing so close to him?

Shaking her head, Sutton refocused and eyed the entrance to the ship. It was not going to be easy getting in, at least not at this particular moment. Jabba had brought cronies with him, and Sutton was surprised to see Boba Fett by his side. She'd forgotten that he'd been in this movie. She wondered what he looked like under his helmet...

It was a fairly short discussion before Jabba waved his henchmen away and left the docking station, luckily in a different direction than where she hid. Han Solo and Chewie had disappeared inside the _Falcon_ and Sutton wondered if she should make a break for it. If she waited, then Luke and Obi-Wan would show up followed shortly by stormtroopers. Who knew if she'd make it on after that.

Taking a deep, determined breath, Sutton shot out from her hiding spot and darted for the stairs. As quietly as she could, she sprinted up them and darted to the side of the ship that didn't have voices echoing down it. Her awe of being inside the infamous spaceship had to be put on hold as she struggled to find a hiding spot. She wasn't exactly sure what rooms were what, after all, or even which ones would be used less. Deciding to go on instinct and pray for luck, she saw a small set of doors and hit the button beside them. It looked like a small storage compartment and she grinned widely as she dove inside.

_Perfect! This was going better than expected!_

It shouldn't be too long now before they left this loathsome planet. Sutton was ecstatic until she remembered one little detail. They did not make it to Alderaan. They, in fact, made it to the _Death Star_. Her face paled with the realization and her heart once again beat against her ribs.

_Crap! Out of the frying pan into the fire, it seemed._

But what choice did she have? Stay on Tatooine? Get skin cancer and try and survive in one of the worst areas this universe had to offer? At least if she was going to be trapped in this universe, she could find a nicer planet.

_But she wasn't going to be stuck here; she wasn't! Tony would find a way to get her back. Or she'd figure something out herself. _

It wasn't long before the silence and peace was disturbed by the unmistakable sound of blaster fire. The ship shook harshly and she knew that the ground was no longer supporting them. The only downside of this hiding spot was that the option of strapping down with a safety belt was not available to her. Their escape wasn't what one would consider..._smooth. _Sutton tried her best to find something to cling to in order to ground her. There was some piping along one of the walls and she wrapped an arm around it and held on for dear life. Luckily, the room wasn't huge so there wasn't much space to bounce around, and the rough take off and race away from Tatooine didn't last too entirely long. They finally seemed to level out and begin cruising as the ship settled. Sutton released her death grip on the pipes next to her and sighed.

_Ok, now she just had to figure something out._

Despite her initial mission to meet these people in the first place, Sutton was hesitant to actually reveal herself. She was, after all, a liability. And regardless of her assurances to Lyyr, she knew Han wouldn't be pleased with finding a stowaway.

But he wouldn't _throw her out the airlock, _or anything drastic like that. _He wouldn't._

The room did a decent job of blocking out sound, so it wasn't until voices were almost right on top of her that she heard anything. A gurgling roar sounded out in the hall and Sutton startled and pushed herself back further into the little corner.

_"Well, __I__ didn't open it. So, unless you or the droids brought on some extra cargo, I say we __check it out__." _

Sutton waited for the voices to pass, waited for the faint footsteps to fade off, but it was quiet. She tried to breath silently through her mouth.

Suddenly, there was a _"swoosh"_ and the small door to her compartment opened. Her eyes widened as she came face-to-face with a kneeling Han Solo, the Wookie stood, unreadable, behind him. The smile that stretched across the smuggler's face was neither humorous or welcoming.

"Well, well, what do we have here?"

**[][][][][][][][][][]**

**Ok, guys! That's chapter 4! Hope you liked it! Reviews really do help keep me motivated, so if you want to just leave a few words, it'd be much appreciated! **

**Thank you so much for your continued support and encouragement! **


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